Key Part of Sandy Alcantara's Game Has Looked Uncharacteristically Different
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The Miami Marlins collected a series win over the Washington Nationals, winning two of the three games. In the series finale, the Marlins sent out their ace, Sandy Alcantara, to the mound and he got the job done, as he typically does.
Alcanatara has started 2026 much better than he did in 2025. He's kept his ERA low, he's missing bats, and he's giving Miami a chance to win every five days that he takes the bump.
But just because Alcantara has looked better compared to 2025 doesn't mean there isn't something standing out for the wrong reason in his game.
This Number is Strikingly Low
A few seasons ago, the Marlins' ace was known to be one of the most dominant pitchers in the National League, especially when it came to striking people out. Two seasons in a row, Alcanatara surpassed 200 strikeouts in a campaign (2021, 2022), but since his injury, he hasn't done as much of that.
After missing the 2024 campaign, Alcanatara hasn't gotten close to 200 strikeouts, and with the trajectory he's on right now, it doesn't look like he's going to reach that feat again in 2026. Sure, 2025 makes sense as to why he didn't strike many batters out, but he's got the stuff in 2026 to do so.
On the campaign thus far, the Miami ace has struck out 39 batters, with his season high sitting at seven against the Chicago White Sox. Since April 12, Alcantara has only struck out five batters in a game once, and it came against the Baltimore Orioles, the start before his most recent.
He struck out three Nationals on Sunday and still worked six innings, so it's not like he hasn't been successful. The world knows how dangerous Alcantara can be if he's striking batters out, so it should be something that stands out to the Marlins organization.
As Miami continues to climb back to a .500 record or better, the Alcantara trade talks will likely continue to resurface if they're starting to lose ground in the division or making the playoffs. In that case, the Marlins would want Alcantara to start striking out more hitters because it only increases his trade value.
Perhaps by the midway point of the season, or even near the All-Star break, Alcantara will come around to striking more hitters out. That timeline allows him more of a grace period with maneuvering through his injury recovery while simultaneously putting up quality start after quality start, focusing on what has worked.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.